Summary
The following contains spoilers for Episode 5 of Oshi no Ko Season 2, “The Curtain Rises,” now streaming onHiDive.
After last episode’s sudden panic attack, Aqua resolves to find a way to perform the emotional acting required of him. As he does, the other actors also begin to start butting heads as egos start coming out, with Akane and Kana’s rivalry being put in particular focus. Meanwhile, the day ofTokyo Blade’s premiere comes closer and closer…
This week’s episode ofOshi no Kotakes time to explore the various motivationsof the actors taking part in theTokyo Bladestage play. While Akane, Kana, and their rivalry certainly takes center stage, Aqua and Melt also have to come to terms with their acting ability (or lack of). With the stage play about to start the next episode, time will tell whether their efforts are going to bear fruit or not.
Akane’s Resolve
Everyone’s Reason To Pursue Acting
“It’s not a matter of right or wrong. Even if you were a horrible guy, I’d still feel the need to accept you as you are.”
Aqua and Akane eat dinner at Gotanda’s house, with Akane helping with the cooking. Aqua has calmed down a bit, and even allows Akane to watch old videos of his past attempts at acting, something he used to be very sensitive about. Gotanda explains that Aqua has always had a problem with his acting style,even though he personally considered it a talent in its own right. Akane goes to talk with Aqua and asks him what his reasons for going into acting are. Aqua initially tries to be vague, then asks her what she would do if he said he was doing it to kill someone. Akane answers that she would help him without hesitation, shocking him. She tells him that she’s serious about supporting him as his girlfriend, even if it’s just for show, and asks his help in return to outshine Kana and Himekawa in acting. For that reason, they ask Gotanda for help with overcoming Aqua’s problem.
Some time later, Ruby and Minami attempt to visit the Lala Lai studio to check on Aqua. They meet Melt there, who tells them that Aqua and Akane have left rehearsal already, which confuses Ruby since he’s been coming home late recently. While in truth, the pair are simply working to overcome Aqua’s trauma, Minami wonders if Aqua and Akane are getting up to something, which spurs a bitter Ruby to claim that she’d hate Aqua forever if he did that.
Ruby takes a moment to use the bathroom, leaving Minami alone for a moment. She is approached by Sakuya Kamoshida, who attempts to get her line, but he is stopped by Melt, who makes up an excuse to call him away. Melt tells Sakuya not to cause trouble, but is rebuffed by Sakuya, who chastises him for trying to scold him when he’s the worst actor in the show. Melt is hurt by his words, but can’t argue back because he knows he is unskilled.
Kurokawa Versus Arima
The Battle Of Two Geniuses
“They’re both veterans who’ve been acting since they were little, and they’re both good. It’d be tasteless to place one above the other.”
As the actors gather for another rehearsal,Akane throws a couple of snide remarks at Kana. Kana seems to take her jabs in stride before pulling out a magazine from her bag, which just happens to be an interview with Akane during her childhood. Inside, Kana reveals that the one actress that inspired Akane to start acting was Kana herself, embarrassing Akane thoroughly. Akane admits that she used to admire Kana, but meeting her in person erased any trace of admiration she had for her. Kana continues to taunt Akane (though Akane gets a few jabs in herself) until Aqua and Melt are forced to pull them away.
Aqua asks Akane why she’s so antagonistic with Kana, and Akane explains that it is because of her horrible personality, something Aqua can’t bring himself to deny. Kana, meanwhile, claims that her acting style is incompatible with Akane’s and that her acting seems to insist that her interpretation is the correct one. As the two practice with the prop weapons needed for the play, Melt asks Himekawa who is the better actor between Kana and Akane. Himekawa is reluctant to compare the two, but claims that while Akane is a genius, Kana is more obsessed with acting, and that she will win so long as he is the one supporting her.
The Day Of The Premiere
The First Showing
“Well, you’ll manage somehow, right? After all, you’re a full-fledged actor.”
The day of the stage play’s premiere eventually arrives, and a variety of people come out to watch the show, including Abiko and Kichijoji, Miyako and Ruby, Mem-cho and the otherLoveNowcast members, and director Gotanda, who is worried about whether Aqua will be able to overcome his issues. Meanwhile, Akane and Kana, who are dressed as Princess Saya and Tsurugi, meet each other while walking backstage. Kana declares that she will make sure no one will consider her a former child genius anymore, and that despite their confrontations, she has been looking forward to acting with Akane again.
Meanwhile, Aqua still hasn’t really gotten over his trauma. He stillgoes into convulsions just from looking at Ai’s face. Even so, he plans to use this to his advantage, even if it almost causes him to have a panic attack again. As Aqua resolves to once again do whatever it takes to make his acting work, theTokyo Bladestage play begins.
Oshi No Ko
Cast
Oshi no Ko is an animated supernatural mystery series that follows a gynecologist named Gorou, a big fan of an idol whom he is caring for as she prepares to deliver her children. After an obsessive fan of the idols murders Gorou, he is reincarnated as her newborn son - but along with him, a terminal patient he knew is reborn as his twin sister. Years later, after yet another seemingly related murder, Gorou (now known as Aqua) decides to enter the idol world and find the culprit.
